Chasing Cars: Bristol (and the South)

[UKCraig]

Sounds like a great idea, Laura, I can buy you a beer (or Pepsi or water or whatever!) to thank you for your help organising the Houston trip!

Kind of broke? hmm... after booking this I kinda know what you mean. I am hoping I can resist the temptation of the final Nascar race of the season at Homestead... was talking to a friend who now lives in Sarasota and there was talk of visiting, once again, in November... I hope that I can resist. I really hope!!

Oh, and I'm jealous of YOU! Indy? How cool! I have decided that the day they announce common sense has finally prevailed and the IRL and Champcar become Indycar once more, should that ever happen, I am booking my flight for the follow May that very day. Indy is a place I really really wanna visit.

Just looking through some old posts and saw one where you mentioned visiting the National Corvette Museum at Bowling Green KY. Might have to squeeze that one in there too if it's any good... what were your thoughts on that place?

[UKCraig]

Me again!

I spent yesterday afternoon looking for info on the net and ended up booking a few campgrounds for the trip using www.recreation.gov and www.reserveamerica.com Has anyone else used these sites before? I'd never come across either of them previously but they were perfect for my needs.

My itinerary now looks something like this:

Weds 22nd August fly Gatwick to Atlanta and drive north to North Georgia Premium Outlet Center at Dawsonville GA (61 miles) to stock up on cheap clothes. Stop overnight in motel/hotel.
Thurs 23rd August Drive to Tallulah Gorge State Park and stop for hike (55 miles) Then head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (100 miles) via the Cherokee entrance. Stop at Clingmans Dome before driving to Cades Cove and set up camp before heading back out to watch sunset. Campground booked.
Fri 24th August Continue exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park, take longer hike, then drive to the Natural Tunnel State Park VA (144 miles). Campground booked.
Sat 25th August explore Natural Tunnel State Park VA before driving to the Bristol Motor Speedway (50 miles) for Nextel Cup race. Return to Natural Tunnel State Park VA (50 miles) for the night. Campground booked.
Sun 26th August drive to Mammoth Cave NP KY (254 miles) and setup camp. Campground booked.
Mon 27th August take guided tour at Mammoth Cave NP before driving to the National Corvette Museum at Bowling Green KY (32 miles) and then on to Nashville TN (67 miles) and find a nice hotel for the night.
Tues 28th August explore Nashville on foot and then head south towards Lynchburg TN (97 miles) Find campground en route.
Weds 29th August visit the Jack Daniels Distillery before heading back towards Atlanta GA (225 miles) and finding campground or motel.
Thurs 30th August Finish driving back to Atlanta GA and take overnight flight back to London.

It is starting to look a little too, erm, organised for my liking! But I'm sure we'll chop and change when we're on the ground. Any thoughts on the ideas though? Am I trying to squeeze too much in, or am I reasonably okay?

I read this thread with interest earlier and was particularly taken with the idea of visiting a couple of the Waterfalls in North Georgia on day two of my trip. I hope that kitsune will find a moment to pop by this thread with some suggestions. I am thinking that maybe they could suggest a couple of falls in the Tallulah Gorge area which are reasonably accessible by car and which won't be dried up in August?

Thanks again guys

[kitsune]

I read this thread with interest earlier and was particularly taken with the idea of visiting a couple of the Waterfalls in North Georgia on day two of my trip. I hope that kitsune will find a moment to pop by this thread with some suggestions. I am thinking that maybe they could suggest a couple of falls in the Tallulah Gorge area which are reasonably accessible by car and which won't be dried up in August?

You should be just fine with most of the waterfalls in the area. Tallulah is controlled by the local power company and hasn't run full strength in decades, but it is still a sight to behold. The gorge, alone, is worth stopping for.

The mountain highways up there should not be underestimated -- getting from one dot on the map to the next often takes a lot more time than one would expect thanks to the curves and ascents/descents. The sun also sets a lot earlier thanks to the mountains and ridge lines, so have a add in some extra time if you're not sure.

Love cheesy tourist traps? Helen, GA. Hate cheesy tourist traps? Avoid that city like the plague.

You all are getting back into my favorite escape grounds up there. Wow, do I miss getting lost on those highways! (Thankfully, I'm returning for a trip come June. I'm really looking forward to it!)

[UKCraig]

Thanks, Kitsune, for the tips. I will have a look at the site which you recommended and see if there's any that particularly take our fancy. I might enquire locally as well, see if the locals have any tips. I will probably stop at the Tallulah Point Overlook on the way and I'm sure the folks there will point me in the right direction!

And, per your comments in the other thread, I think the danger of sustaining 'reasonable injury up to and including death' is quite fun too! lol

Helen looks hilarious... like you say, cheese city! Actually, depending on the time my flight gets in, I could be persuaded to stop there the first night!! Thanks for that tip, I'd never have found it on my own, fantastic!

[UKCraig]

Having terrible trouble finding a sensibly priced flight right now. They had been overpriced right from the get go and I was waiting for a sensible price to come along. But they've now gone through the roof and demand you fly via such hell holes as Schipol urgh.

I may have to reconsider how I'm going to do this trip. Does anyone have any thoughts on airports that are close(ish) to Bristol that I should check out? I don't mind amending the tripas long as I'm in Bristol on the Saturday night and we get a week or so of interesting places to visit!

[lhuff]

I hope you get things figured out soon. I don't really know a lot about that part of the country.

Laura

[UKCraig]

I normally pay in the £300 region - even for the longer flight to LA - but prices were never less than £400 at any time. Now there's very few options less than £500 and the direct flights with Delta are like £800 ($1600!!) :o

I am considering flying into Washington or New York (whichever's cheapest) and looking for a cheap internal flight to either Atlanta or Charlotte but am concerned about the amount of luggage that you're allowed on internal flights. Has anyone any experience in this area? Many of the 'proper' airlines allow you to take 2 x 32kg bags when travelling on transatlantic routes. In the UK the budget airlines (Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.) charge you extra for baggage in the hold and then limit it to a maximum of 15kg or something. Is this the same in the US?

[lhuff]

I found a FAQ page from Delta airlines about their luggage requirements. I would think the other domestic airlines would say much the same.

Laura

[UKCraig]

Delta could work nicely, given their based in Atlanta, or at least have a major hub there. I will look at the possibilities, thanks!

[UKCraig]

I have spent the past three hours online seeking out flights, all my work has been rewarded! For £415GBP (approx $830) we get a direct flight from Manchester (three hour drive from here) into Atlanta with Delta. So we're basically getting two for the price of one in return for a 200 mile drive this end!

I also managed to extend the trip by a couple of days at the end without incurring any extra costs! So, now I'm looking for any further suggestions from you good people on this here site :) Come on folks, you must be able to think of some cool places for us to visit!!